Thousands of Red Snapper are Being Killed in the Gulf of Mexico

A federal mandate to remove old, abandoned oil and gas rigs in the Gulf of Mexico is blowing up a lot more than just the rigs. Recently, video obtained by a Mobile television station showed thousands of pounds of dead fish, mostly red snapper, floating to the surface after one of the controversial demolitions in the Gulf. It was reported that the demolitions are frequent, sometimes three a week, in the Gulf of Mexico, and have been going in for some time. The demolitions are not only killing lots of snapper, but their habitats are being destroyed.

The old rigs are under the surface and have developed into artificial reefs with rich coral habitats. On some of the older rigs, those habitats have grown over a period of 30 to 40 years. The killing of the red snapper will badly hurt charter boat captains and anglers. Federal restrictions keep cutting the length of the red snapper season, and quotas are also shrinking in an effort to protect the species from over-fishing. Maybe somebody can explain it, but it makes no sense to tell the fishermen not to fish red snapper and then for the government to continue blowing up the fish.

It has been estimated that 10,000 pounds of fish, mostly red snapper, were killed after the most recent demolition. The killing of red snapper has both environmental and economical ramifications. The red snapper is the most valuable fish species in the Gulf of Mexico. Tourism, industry and restaurants depend on these fish. The federal actions are destroying a very valuable resource. Hopefully, members of the House and Senate from the Gulf Coast states will get actively involved and work to stop the massive fish kills in the Gulf.